It is true that we cook less and less, but that trend should change for the benefit of our health. We are what we eat and with that spirit we have to stand up to the food industry, which desperately seeks to make us dependent on processed foods. Comfort is the enemy of intelligence. We need to think, we need to cook, and rice opens a huge portal to creativity, constantly reminding us of who we are and where we came from. Hence the importance of not losing the culinary tradition.
The Arabs are the true introducers of rice cultivation in the marshy areas of the coast. Rice is originally a supplementary dish on the peninsula, which has never superseded wheat bread in the diet. The Valencian Paella, or rather, Valencian rice, began to be called that at the end of the 19th century, before it was simply paella (frying pan), with whatever ingredient it was, if it was made in the container called paella it was paella, and spot. It is at this moment that it begins to be relevant, even though it has been documented since the 16th century. There are testimonies about the health controversy generated by the cultivation of rice. During the Christian conquest in the 13th century and also later, it was associated with diseases and fevers, which is why the kings kept rice away from the city walls. In this way it became a prohibited crop in the hands of the disadvantaged, the subjugated. Christians always preferred wheat.
The history of paella, but not of rice, we can affirm that it began solidly in the 19th century, being a festive dish at family celebrations, it also has that playful character for a certain bourgeoisie, even being used as a diplomatic tool. José María Pisa explains it perfectly in his book “Biography of Paella” Ed. de re Coquinaria (2011). However, Blasco Ibáñez himself, and I never tire of repeating his contempt for paella, shamelessly omitted it in his work, clinging to the stew as a genuine festive dish of the opulent Valencian society. The common people ate paella or humble rice dishes. Pure class struggle. Vicente was of high birth and did not accept a commoner and tacky dish.
Its popularity, I insist, is recent, marked by the arrival of rolled steel at all levels of society. Having a paella was a privilege, it was not available to everyone. There are notarial documents from the 15th century that detail the transmission of the deceased’s assets, indicating that among the belongings of the house there is a paella along with other valuables.
The common people cooked rice in a clay pot, the metallic paella came later to revolutionize everything, making it easier to cook, rice or whatever, anywhere and with hardly any heat. As its diameter increases, its popularity grows, because it allows more people to eat at the same time. It encourages comboi and can be transported anywhere without breaking. A marvel. Paella has never stopped evolving.
We know of the proliferation of large picnic areas and impressive cafes in the first third of the 20th century, when, in addition, any encounter or meeting, whether political, intellectual or social, ended with the circular feast of a paella. This way of socializing so ours will be carried away by the civil war with its hardships and rationing. Without restaurants and with the marked agricultural character of Valencian society, much more self-sufficient in vegetables and groceries than other regions of Spain, paella and the culture of rice in general are consolidated and become a sign of identity for Valencians . That no one doubts anymore.
It is convenient not to forget that in Valencia baked rice has the same heritage status as paella, although it goes unnoticed by the rest of the world. We do not care. It is a jewel reserved to enjoy in the privacy of home. Like Aznar with Catalan. If in paella the leading role corresponds to the man (father), in baked rice the honor goes to the mother. And remember, there is only one mother. I invite you to put a Valencian in a commitment. Ask him: What do you prefer, paella or baked rice? It would be the same as saying: who do you love more, dad or mom? The answer would be to stare into infinity and implode like the Titan submarine.
Rice in a clay pot cooked in the oven is the great cover of Valencian gastronomy. The cross section of the rice. It does not allow discussions. Thanks to its local ingredients, it acquires personality, mainly due to the varieties of sausage, which is nothing more than the good work of artisan butchers. On most occasions it is a tribute to the pig and its gait, but it can also combine poultry, legumes… there is rice in the summer oven, for Lent, for the bride… Because if you want to celebrate something, that’s what rice is for . Here they never skimp on product. In the past, rabbits, chickens, hens or pigs were sacrificed, which families raised with such care for a year. Whatever it takes if the occasion deserves it.
And on the opposite side is the rice seasoned with four weeds from the road, two snails, a piece of crumbled salted cod or the first thing you catch on the terrace. That one also gets the wave. Of course, the rice has to be at its point or blasphemy to the song and curse the cook. This is how we Valencians are, it doesn’t matter if you are from Bicorp or Sueca.
